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On November 19, 2023, Al-Ahad News, a news website linked to Lebanese Hizbullah, published reports citing senior Hizbullah figures discussing the ongoing Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip, arguing that the war is waged by the U.S. Administration and President Joe Biden and is only being carried out by Israel, and vowing that the "eradication" of Israel and removal of the U.S.-led "global arrogance" are imminent.
The statements are part of an increasing media involvement by the Iran-backed militia leaders in the region as the war continues between Israel and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, and in light of the U.S. support for Israel.
Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem: A U.S. War Executed By Israel
During a memorial ceremony held in Beirut on November 19, Hizbullah's Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the ongoing developments in Gaza are an "American war" executed by Israel.
"One can notice all the political and media coverage, the drawing of lines, and the setting of rules are put in place by Biden directly. The Israelis are only parroting him, and are not the ones who outlined the strategy from its beginning to its end. They are not the ones who set up the criminal policies being committed. They only the tools of its execution."
He further argued that without U.S. engagement and military and security support, Israel would not have been able to make one single step forward, "knowing it is very incapable of facing such developments." The political, security, media, and military support Israel continues to receive from the U.S. "proves we are facing an American-Israeli aggression, decided by America and executed by Israel," he said, adding: "This is a threat to humanity, which must be countered and rejected by every rational person."
Qassem: Resistance Is The Solution To Defend Lebanon And Preserve The Party's Options
The deputy leader added that Hizbullah will remain on alert and maintain constant readiness as it continues to "engage" Israel and confuse its forces, while inflicting losses upon it and preventing it from using all its power in one place.
According to Hizbullah's second in command, superpowers are "murderous colonial states that participate in humanitarian crimes" and the absence of international justice and a fair and neutral UN Security Council leaves Hizbullah with only one solution – resistance. In this regard, he affirmed that all talk about alternatives "will not help confront the current challenges, internationally as well as at the Israeli level."
He said: "We believe that resistance is the solution. We have worked on this basis and armed ourselves accordingly. We will continue to grow and will remain in the field. [...] This resistance is not up for debate or political bargaining. This resistance is here to preserve and protect Lebanon, our options, and our region. [...] We will continue to train and acquire anything in our capacity to be strong, regardless of opposition voices."
Concluding, Qassem stressed that Hizbullah would not be able to defend Lebanon and protect the party's options and rights without the use of force, saying: "We will face their force with our force and our rights."
Deputy Leader In Beqaa Region: No Other Choice But To "Eradicate" Israel From Region
On the same day, Faysal Shukr, Hizbullah's deputy leader in the Bekaa region argued that Israel's handling of the war against Hamas and other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip prove the "enemy's hatred" towards Palestine in general and Gaza in particular, heralding Israel's "approaching demise."
In an address during a Hizbullah event held in the town of Halabta to memorialize "martyr Ali Mahdi Sayf al-Din, a.k.a Zulfiqar," Shukr pointed out that the eradication of Israel and the camp of "global aggression and arrogance" from the region is "imminent."
He further threatened that the Iran-backed resistance will continue to fight Israel until the "cancerous gland" in the region is "eradicated.""We have no other choice but to fight you" he said, reiterating Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's remarks that Israel is "weaker than a spider's web."
In a message to the Americans, Shukr argued that the U.S. will always remain the "force of global arrogance." Citing former Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini describing the U.S. as the "greatest devil in this world," Shukr concluded: "We will uproot this devil from this world."
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